Koekebakker family

Koekebakker was the name of a Dutch Mennonite family, found at Wormerveer, province of North Holland, from at least the early 18th century. They were members of the Waterlander Mennonite congregation and at the same time in the 18th century ardent Collegiants as well as ardent Patriots Hendrik Koekebakker (1809-1888), married to Guurtje Prins, ran an oil mill and was a stock dealer at Wormerveer. His son, also called Hendrik, born 5 February 1847, died 8 October 1890 at Zwartsluis, studied at the University of Utrecht and the Mennonite Theological Seminary of Amsterdam. He became a ministerial candidate and served the following congregations: Burg on Texel 1871-1874, Ouddorp 1874-1878, Berlikum 1878-1881, Giethoorn 1881-1886, and Zwartsluis-Meppel 1886-1890. He was liberal in theology, being called "a sage," whose papers on ethics, such as "De ontwikkelingstheorie en de Zedeleer" in De Gids (1881) and Het godsdienstig zedelijk belijden (Amsterdam, 1878), are of importance. Pastor Hendrik Koekebakker also was the first editor of the Dutch Mennonite weekly, the Zondagsbode. He was married in 1873 to Sina Huizinga (d. 1901).

Two of Hendrik's sons also went into the ministry: Jacob Koekebakker (b. 1875), who served the congregations of Den Ilp-Landsmeer 1899-1903, Aardenburg 1903-1919, and Middelburg-Goes 1919-1940, was active in behalf of the Russian Mennonites in 1921, visiting Russia in that year. He also was the first president of the board of trustees of the Elspeet Broederschapshuis. He published De Droom (three sermons, Middelburg, n.d.-1924). Willem Koekebakker (1878-1954) was Mennonite pastor at Zwartsluis 1904-1909 and Dordrecht-Breda 1909-1945. He was editor of De Zondagsbode 1930-1942, and published De Zelfstandigheid der Gemeente (n.p., 1926); Ons Belijden (Wolvega, 1928); Tot geloof bewegen en bewogen warden (Utrecht, 1948).